


The Big Hug Theory

by matan4il



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, or rather
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 23:25:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16649854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matan4il/pseuds/matan4il
Summary: The matter of Aaron's hugs requires Robert's research. Fluff and lame humor ahead.Don't get Robert wrong, he has cuddled lots of people in his life, some of which he actually liked. So it's not like he's lacking in the department of cuddle experience. But Aaron cuddles seemed to be a whole different thing...For Aaron Week's "cuteness overload" day.





	The Big Hug Theory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joanie1985](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joanie1985/gifts).



> This fic pokes a bit of fun at scientific research, but it's from a place of familiarity and love, I promise.
> 
> Dedicated to Jo, a belated birthday fic. Thank you so much for always being willing to help with my fics and being so incredibly supportive and encouraging, way beyond what I could expect or deserve. I wish you lots of joy and to always be surrounded by the same love and support that you bestow on others! xoxox Jo wanted fluff, Aaron Week had a 'cuteness overload' day, this is the combined result. Because yes, my brain is weird. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> And thank you to Ellie, who stepped in on such short notice as a beta reader! xox

Aaron gives the best cuddles. It's a scientific fact that Robert feels deserves some more recognition, not to mention research. Because while there is no doubt about their superior quality, he's not sure what it is exactly that makes those cuddles the best.

Don't get Robert wrong, he has cuddled lots of people in his life, some of which he actually liked. So it's not like he's lacking in the department of cuddle experience. But Aaron cuddles seemed to be a whole different thing, even when they shouldn't have been happening at all, because the two of them together, they were never meant to amount to anything other than sex. But then Cain got sick and Aaron looked like he would follow suit with worry. And Robert does have a heart, despite what the rumors claim. Check ups by a company doctor for the purposes of insurance confirmed this. So he did what anyone in his position with a confirmed existent human heart would do, he hugged Aaron.

And Aaron hugged him back.

Ever since, whether it was secretly or whether it's now proudly and openly, no one is able to testify to the fact that Aaron's hugs are indeed the best quite like Robert can. But knowing that and understanding what makes them so good, those are two different things. In addition to one functioning human heart, Robert also possesses an inquisitive mind, not to mention a great love for science. That's why he's willing to make a few sacrifices for the sake of the greater good and the world's right to know what's the secret to Aaron Dingle's cuddles.

Like any researcher would tell you, every good scientific investigation begins with a lot of comparisons. Are they all actually needed? Who knows? But it certainly gives the data an air of authority and respectability, the true goal of any scientist. Robert sat down at his laptop and opened up a new spreadsheet document (the most important tool in any investigator's kit, clearly), where he began figuring out which comparisons he would have to make. 

The first column in the spreadsheet was dedicated to all the other people Robert had to compare Aaron's hugs with. He was tempted to keep this column short, but in the interest of thoroughness, he ended up listing as many villagers as he found to be reasonable. In some cases, there were hidden bonuses such as Liv pretending to be annoyed with him hugging her for no apparent reason, but still cuddling back up to him after her initial rumbling (one day, she's going to be able to give Aaron's hugs a run for their money). Then there were the entries on the list that the other party seemed to enjoy more than Robert did, if Jimmy's stupid wide grin and contentedly shut eyes were any indication. Nicola certainly wasn't happy with that hug either, if he had to judge from her "Ewww, get a room," comment that she made as she entered their shared office. Robert just shrugged and smirked at her. "Jealous, are we?" he asked and followed up by hugging her too, for good measure (that is, if by good measure one meant 'annoy Nicola even more'). As she pushed herself away from him, she let out an "urgh," that little guttural sound only she can make and does when she's disgusted with him or with Jimmy, which happens often enough (Robert can testify she's uniquely gifted at this, as he has tried his best to mimic that sound, thinking Aaron might appreciate this skill mid-blowjob. It's an art form Robert needs to work on some more and he's more than willing to). Annoying her turned out to mean there was a bonus to hugging Jimmy after all, but in all fairness to this column, Robert did pretty much rush through it. He couldn't help wanting to get to the next one.

The second column was all about the different variations and possible contexts for Aaron hugs. There were so many, but Robert would have no choice other than to tough it out and sample them all. There is no end to the sacrifices he's willing to make for science. 

He started out by writing down the most straightforward type, an Aaron hug meant for a short term goodbye. Not to be confused with the long term version, the short term one was for when Robert or Aaron were leaving for their weekly day of work and would not see each other for a few hours. Give or take an afternoon quickie. And possibly some sexting. It was always tough and that hug beforehand was needed. The long term hug had to follow on the list, naturally, as much as Robert disliked the idea of having to leave on some business trip in order to test this one. He found some solace in the fact that it at least would not be a Sandra related excursion. While he was touching on things that were on a slightly sadder note, he added comfort hugs. At least comfort hugs didn't have to be about anything major. They could be over something as simple as a broken toaster, given how important toast was in their household. After some deliberation and for the sake of being as thorough as possible, and not at all for the purpose of doubling the amount of cuddles this project would entail, Robert added lines in the spreadsheet for both when he was comforting Aaron and for when his husband was the one offering him comfort. Robert next wrote every cute form of cuddle he could think of: when Aaron thinks Liv can't see them from the corner of her eye during movie night; that one that comes when Robert is doing the dishes and his husband chooses to sneak up on him from behind for no reason; the one that he gets if Aaron is actually touched by a romantic gesture he has made, but his husband is too stubborn to say it in words; the sort that's reserved for vacations away from the village, bringing out a more carefree side of Aaron; the one where his husband is trying to get Robert to forget about taxes and come upstairs instead; the post-coital kind on the couch after he relents, because he's so weak for whatever Aaron wants, but they fail to make it up the stairs... 

For several days, the second column kept growing longer and longer, forcing Robert to consider he may be too detailed with his hug categories. He went over the list again to try and minimize it, but that only resulted in him adding a few more hug types that he had failed to include in the first place. Deciding he can no longer postpone the stage for human tests, he resolved to start experimenting with the hugs in the field and to adjust the list in accordance with the samples that he'll gather. 

Which made him realize he had been avoiding the question of how to actually gather the samples. It wasn't easy to organize the right circumstances for each hug category. Especially not when you consider how difficult it can be to get your average Aaron Dingle (and Robert would have you know that nothing about his husband was, in fact, average. He doesn't need to conduct any research in that regard, thank you very much) to relent to a hug, let alone to initiate one. Grumpiness is not as conductive to cuddliness as it might be assumed by someone who fell in love with Aaron practically at first sight (or at first wall slam. Robert is willing to own that one if it'll get Aaron to repeat that). Undoubtedly, he would have to be sneaky about the whole thing and as the experiment began, he tried his best. The problem was how astute Aaron is and how quickly his eyebrow would shoot up as he wondered aloud whether everything was alright with Robert. The whole thing proved far more tricky than Dr. Sugden (his PhD stood for Physically Dedicated to Aaron, naturally) initially thought that it would be.

Take the sentimental hug due to a romantic gesture, for example. Before admitting defeat, Robert had to throw a surprise date-at-home dinner, an improvised picnic and go through two thwarted attempts at a grand speech. His first try, in the pub, was ruined by Rishi upstaging him with an impromptu gushing to Doug about how beautiful Manpreet is, the older man's volume amplified by the consumption of a bit too much alcohol. As his husband listened in amusement, Rishi could only be forgiven by Robert since clearly the man was a fool for failing to recognize that no human could ever outshine the beauty of Aaron's deep eyes, soft curls and beaming, loving smile. The second attempt was proof that Robert can, in fact, learn from his mistakes and was about to be conducted in the Mill. A lasagna forgotten for a few minutes too long in the oven, however, put an end to his intentions. As the smell of smoke spread in their living room, it was clear Aaron was not gonna stop taking the mick over whose turn it was to mess up in the kitchen for the rest of the night. There was only one way to shut him up and the honest, scientific full disclosure required admitting that that involved more cocks than arms.

The worst setback, however, was when Robert's plan was not interrupted in any way. It was an anniversary. The first time Aaron had told him that he loved him. A memory Robert cherished, much as it took him a long time to admit it (as well as an attempted murder... he learns from his mistakes, but that does demand some dramatic measures). Throughout the day, Robert left Aaron small gifts. Little wrapped chocolates placed around the scrapyard. One rose on his desk. A note on the car seat at the end of the day with an invitation to their barn. It all played out perfectly and his husband enjoyed it all. Robert knows he did, whatever he'd say. And the whole thing did culminate in kissing and a roll around the hay for old times' sake (well, more like a roll on top of hay covered by a few blankets and bed covers. This was the work of a romantic, not a masochist), but not in the desired kind of hug.

Afterwards, Robert was lying exhausted and sweaty, gradually becoming more and more aware of this additional failure as the fog induced by the sex bliss began to dissipate (it was dawning on him why he might not have had a promising career in science after all, despite his love for it). He was considering throwing in the towel when he noticed Aaron was half sat up, cover pulled around his waist and his face turned mostly away. Something was wrong. Robert prodded his elbow. "Go on, what is it?"

Aaron shrugged. "Liv said something the other day. She's considering a move to Hotten."

"Oh." There was no need to ask anything else. Robert shared all of the sadness his husband was feeling at the prospect. He reached up to gently pull Aaron by his bicep, aligning their gazes. "I'll talk to her and see how serious she is, if you want me to. I might be able to change her mind," he said. "But even if she doesn't, I promise you that we are not losing her. We'll go see her there, help her out. And I'll tell her the one condition for our blessing is at least one visit home a week. Hotten is not the end of the world, she can make do. Besides, she'll have to come see her new little nephew or niece often."

Aaron frowns at that (another scientific research that should be done is how a man can be so sexy when he frowns. This one might be too great a challenge to investigate for Robert, he'll have to settle for being the guinea pig for that experiment). "Her what?"

"I saw you looking at those adoption agency papers and I've been meaning to tell you. I think that, yeah. Now the time is right."

"You mean that?" Aaron is grinning already and Robert can feel his own lips mirroring that as he nods in response. His husband slips down, back under the cover and comes to engulf him in the sweetest embrace. There it is, the hug that tells him that his Aaron is too moved for words.

As it turned out after weeks of research and info gathering, his investigation returned a lot of data, but very little in the way of conclusions. Robert looked at the spreadsheet he'd spent so much time pouring over. He hit 'save' but figured he'd probably not come back to the file for quite a while. It was in no way a defeat. Twice already he has pledged his life to loving Aaron, to knowing him, to exploring every part of him. To making room for the changes that his husband will undergo, adapting to them and loving Aaron even more for all of the shared experiences and processes they are bound to go through together. This was not just a cute little science project that he took on. This was the greatest inquiry he could ever undertake and he was ready and willing, again and again, to dedicate the rest of his life to exploring what made everything about Aaron, including his cuddles, the very best.


End file.
